Sixty-five years ago, a company was set up in Zola Pedrosa (Bologna) which, over time, has rewritten pruning methods with evolved technologies. Campagnola started producing pneumatic aluminium shears in 1964 and ten years later became the pioneer of technopolymer ones. For FARE Insieme, Giampaolo Colletti interviewed Laura Ferretti, owner of Campagnola
by Giampaolo Colletti
@gpcolletti
Photocredit: Giacomo Maestri e Francesca Aufiero
There are
entrepreneurial dreams that turn into reality only if accompanied by
determination, passion and resilience. What we are about to tell you is a dream
with Emilian roots yet with an international vision. It is the dream of
Vittorio Ferretti and his wife Graziella Rondani, founders of Campagnola. We
will soon see what lies behind this Emilian company that scaled the global
markets starting off from a brilliant idea but, let’s first focus on the dream
before it was fulfilled. Very few means, and a lot of willpower. And the strive
to travel, discover and grow. This is how the dream started, with Vittorio who
had started off working for an artisan, but who locked himself in his workshop
every weekend, a sort of garage of ideas. Then, in 1958, the big step. Vittorio
decided to become an artisan himself and start working independently. A few
years later, the great inspiration came which represented the launch pad of
what was to become Campagnola: from the United States, Vittorio Ferretti
imported the idea of innovative pneumatic shears for pruning, which were made
of metal and were still unavailable in Europe.
Ideas that
leave their mark. A brilliant idea, as we mentioned earlier. Because, at the
time, those shears represented a leap forward compared with manual pruning,
though they were still very heavy for operators who spent many hours in the
fields. That is how Super Star was born - a myth in the pruning sector - the
first pneumatic shears made of a plastic material that is much lighter than
metal. A boom on a global level, a star in name and fact, shears that are still
remembered to this day despite the fact that they have been out of production
for years, but that are still used in some orchards and vineyards. Those
embryonic yet revolutionary shears represent the identity of Campagnola: dreams
that become true, innovations that take shape, a future that becomes present.
The Olistar pneumatic harvester came in the 1990s and the electromechanical
harvester named after Vittorio's granddaughter, Alice, was introduced in early
2000 and is still considered the number one in the world. “During these 65 years,
Campagnola has made great investments, and we will start building our third
facility soon. My father is always with us, with his values and his
entrepreneurial spirit. The family continues managing the activity, plus we
work with a team of excellent internal managers and efficient external
consultants. We are a motivated team, where everyone has a precise and precious
role,” reports Laura Ferretti, owner of the company. The company now boasts 62
employees with a turnover of €24 million.
Products
that look to the future. Campagnola was set up as a manufacturer of equipment
for pruning, but it managed to look in other directions as well. “We are among
the leading companies on a global level when it comes to olive harvesters as
well. We recently introduced an electric tying tool used mainly in viticulture,
and we are also focusing on blueberry harvesting, for which we are the first to
have introduced a hook shaker. Our
sectors are viticulture, olive and fruit cultivation and floriculture,”
stresses Ferretti. The products are manufactured in Italy and renewed day after
day. Because, while the company started producing aluminium pneumatic shears in
1964, already ten years later it became the pioneer in the production of
technopolymer ones. Clients, traders and importers of machines and agricultural
equipment are leading us towards innovation. “The evolution was determined by
technological progress of materials, the innovative opportunities presented by
the market, our technical expertise, but also by the suggestions made by the
users of our equipment, who we urge to report back problems or give us ideas on
how to improve products and renew the range,” says Ferretti. The product range
is made up of equipment featuring technologically-evolved materials:
engineering plastics, i.e. technopolymers, with carbon fibre, mechanical
components made of high-resistance materials, microfusion gears and metals with
specialist treatments used in the car industry, electronic components and
state-of-the-art batteries. From Italy to the rest of the world Campagnola has
a global reach thanks to its network of traders. “Clients are at the centre of
everything and all our attention revolves around them. The attention to the
relationship aspect, a characteristic typical of Emilia, is more important than
selling for us. Selling is not enough. We make an effort to involve our
clientèle. And we are inspired by our clients,” stresses Ferretti. The feather
in the company’s hat is its after-sales assistance. Because this entrepreneur
listens to clients herself and has her own personal record - 300 phone calls
made directly to clients in one year, almost one a day. Listening is continuous
training towards excellence.
https://podcast.confindustriaemilia.it/
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